Like a Feather on the Ice
by Allekha
Summary: A mysterious but friendly man keeps dropping by Phichit's skating practice to cheer him on.


His coach was running late.

Phichit frowned at his phone as he double-checked his messages. She had mentioned that she might be delayed a little, but now it was ticking on most of an hour past when they were supposed to meet. He didn't mind the delay, per se, but she was usually punctual and he was starting to worry about her. He sent another message just to make sure she was okay and turned back to the rink. Might as well get started while he waited.

He didn't have his music, which always made things less fun, but by now the song for his short program had gotten stuck in his head, anyway. It was an energetic pop piece, the kind of song that put a smile on his face to hear it, the kind of song that made him want to skate, want to dance, want to show off for someone.

The first couple of run-throughs didn't go that well – he was still falling on that one jump, maybe his coach would have some advice – but on the third one, he managed to land everything and didn't trip over his skates on the step sequence. As he dropped from the ending pose to collapse to the ice, panting, he heard clapping, and looked up hoping that his coach had finally arrived.

The person who was clapping at the side of the rink was a stranger, though, a young man with glasses, dressed all in white. "Thank you!" he called, a little confused.

The stranger's clapping slowed to a stop. He smiled and tilted his head, then called back: "I didn't know it was possible to move on ice like that." He laughed and asked, "Have I just been missing out on a lot of talented skaters in this country?"

Phichit stood and brushed some ice from his legs. "There's a few of us," he laughed. "Not a lot, but I'm sure we all want to change that."

"If everyone knew that you could dance so nicely on ice, I'm sure they'd all want to see it. What's your name?"

Phichit thanked him again and gave his name. Just as the man shot him another grin and wished him luck with his skating – without introducing himself – Phichit's coach burst in with an apology for being (at this point, _very_ ) late. "There was an accident on the road," she said, dropping her bag and immediately bending over to dig through it. "Or three, maybe, traffic was even worse than usual – let's get going."

"Okay," said Phichit, and he turned to say good-bye to the nice man, but he was already out of sight.

It was a while before he saw the man again. He occasionally showed up at Phichit's practices, distinct and instantly noticeable at the side of the rink – he usually wore white, and _always_ had an easygoing, cheerful expression on his face. Phichit never did get his name, and after the first few times he stopped trying to remember to ask. Whoever the man was, he was friendly, soon slipping into familiar forms of speech, and he dropped encouragement and compliments so easily and so sincerely that it left Phichit feeling more determined than ever, jumping just a little higher and dancing just a little more smoothly than normal.

"I tried looking it up," the man said one day as Phichit gulped down water. "There really aren't a lot of Thai skaters, huh."

Phichit shook his head. "I hope it becomes more popular in the future," he said, once he'd swallowed his mouthful of water. "Skating's a lot of fun, and there's even those famous movies about skating that take place here."

"Movies?"

" _The King and the Skater_ and its sequel...?"

The man shook his head. There was a part of Phichit that refused to believe that anyone could have _not_ heard of _The King and the Skater_. "When did it come out?"

"It was the first movie I ever saw, so... probably about fifteen years ago? It's really fun! Well, my sister doesn't like it because it's a kind of strange version of Thailand, but it's my favorite. There's this Englishman who loses his inspiration for skating and travels back in time and comes to Thailand. He switches places with an English teacher for the royal family, and he ends up teaching them how to skate. The music is really popular for people to use in their routines, though nobody from Thailand has done it yet. I'm going to be the first some day."

"I'll have to see if I can find it, then," the man said, "if you're recommending it so much. Should I watch the sequel, too?"

"They made the plot more serious, but I thought it was just as good in a different way. And the soundtrack for both films is amazing."

"Okay, then!" The man pulled out his phone, maybe to make a note, and his smile fell as the screen turned on. "Is it this late, already? I need to get going for a meeting. But I'll see you soon, and I can let you know what I thought of the movie."

"It might have to be a while," Phichit sighed, sliding back a few inches on the ice. "I'm actually about to leave to go train in America. I'm not sure when I'll be back, yet."

"America, hm. I guess without Thai skaters, there aren't many resources here, are there." Phichit shook his head. "That's a shame. Well, at least America's okay. I know America – I mean, a guy from America. He's kind of pushy and doesn't know much about other places, but he's always trying to help out and he likes animals. I talked with him properly for the first time when he came to see the elephants here. So I'm sure you'll be fine over there. And then you'll come back soon, won't you?"

"As soon as I can," Phichit promised. Of course he wanted to come back when he could – he already knew he was going to miss his family dearly, and Detroit was supposed to get cold, and the food wouldn't be the same at all even if he liked it – but there was something about the way the man had asked the question that had the answer slipping from his mouth before he could even think about it.

The wide smile he received for it made his heart beat quicker.

It wasn't until much later, while taking a break from packing to check on his social media, that it occurred to him that he could have tried to obtain the guy's phone number. Or email. Or Twitter. Or – well, anything. It wasn't like they _had_ to drop all contact until Phichit came back.

Maybe it was fine like that, though. There was something special about only meeting this guy on the odd occasion at the rink, at times Phichit couldn't predict.

...it still felt weird, though. There wasn't anyone else he could think of that he couldn't keep up with via text or social media.

He returned to packing as he heard footsteps approaching the door. His parents had already nagged him about finishing three times tonight, and he was getting tired of assuring them that yes, he would be done in time to make his flight.

He was, too, with more than an hour to spare, which he used to take last-minute photos with his entire family before going to the airport. He hoped that they would help keep him from getting too homesick, though the only emotion he felt as Thailand dropped away beneath them, pretty in the early-morning light, was excitement.

America, it turned out, a good idea.

His new coach knew how to help him hone his skills and push them to the next level – and the level beyond, and the level after _that_ – until Phichit started to catch up with his dreams and became a truly competitive skater. And there were the friends he made both on the rink and off, the nights spent curled up with Yuuri talking about anything and everything, all of the new foods he got to try (even if the American version of Thai food had ended up rather disappointing).

Still, years later, it was a relief to step off his plane, take a selfie, and caption it _Back in Bangkok! Good to be home_ _❤❤❤!_

He had to get used to the climate again, even if it was much more comfortable than that of Detroit, and it took a week for his brain to stop mixing up English and Thai sentence structure, a month before he was no longer slipping random English words in just because they came up faster. Then there was his newfound fame as the top figure skater of his country, someone who was going to help promote Thailand as something more than a place of good food and beaches and tourism.

His first invitation had him smiling for the cameras only a couple of days after he had landed, his internal clock not yet adjusted all the way. It was a very fancy party and he shook hands with some very fancy people and prayed that the new brand of eyeliner he was trying wasn't starting to smudge as camera flashes went off again and again.

After a while, he managed to take a take a break in a relatively secluded corner, sip some of the very fancy alcohol, and check his eyeliner with his phone's camera. It was still there, good. He raised his arm to take a quick photo (he looked extra handsome in this suit, he wanted to show it off), and was just sliding the phone back into his pocket when a familiar voice startled him.

"Phichit!"

It was the man who came to the rink to watch him sometimes, wearing a light suit with a gold tie and his usual smile. "Hello," Phichit said, straightening up a bit. "It's been a while, have you been well?"

"For the most part," the man said. "I heard that you've come back to train here."

"Yeah, my coach from America is coming, too, I think he's just tying up loose ends right now. It's good to be home."

"I'm glad to hear it. Welcome back!" The man adjusted his glasses and turned to glance around the room. Nothing seemed to catch his attention, though, as he turned back and said, "By the way, I watched the films you told me about, the skating ones."

"You remembered?" Phichit laughed.

They ended up talking about _The King and the Skater_ for most of the rest of the time Phichit spent at the party, starting with the plot and progressing to the historical accuracy of the film – a subject about which the man was quite well-informed – to how accurate the skating was. Finally, the man must have seen someone he wanted to talk with, as he bid Phichit a good-night – not before wishing him good luck in the GP series, though.

Phichit didn't get many chances to see him after the season had started and he was flying back and forth, but he did come by once in a while to watch Phichit for a few minutes and ask how he was doing. "Is he a relative of yours?" Ciao Ciao asked, once.

"Oh, no, he's a friend. He works in the government." It was something the man had mentioned off-hand a while ago, one of the few scraps of information he had let go about himself. There was that and the fact that he had a cute pet of some kind name Toto, that he loved elephants more than any other animal, and that he liked to cook. Well, and he knew a lot about Thai history, had a detailed knowledge of Bangkok in particular, and he seemed to know traditional dances pretty well, too.

Phichit didn't see him before he left for Barcelona. On returning home, though – a bit disappointed by the results but still happy he had even made the final, and proud of his own performance, and looking forward to the rest of the season – after his family was done fussing over him, his mom went, "Oh, and a nice man left this for you this morning."

"What is it?"

"This." She handed him a plastic container, chilled from sitting in the fridge. There was a note folded up and taped to it, which Phichit opened first. It was written in neat, graceful handwriting, and said:

 _Dear Phichit,_

 _Congratulations! I watched your performance on TV with Toto. I don't understand how the scoring works, but I truly enjoyed seeing your skating. I am very proud of you, and I know all of Thailand is proud of you right now. I can't wait to see how well you can do in the future. Here is a small gift to welcome you home._

It wasn't signed. Once Phichit was done grinning at the note, he opened the container. It was full of pad thai – what turned out to be some of the spiciest and most delicious pad thai Phichit had ever eaten. He ended up sharing some with his sister, who asked where it was from. "I think he might have made it himself," Phichit said after glancing through the note again. "I know he likes cooking... if he did, that was very kind of him! I'll have to say thank-you next time he comes to the rink."

He didn't have to wait long. A few days later, he had some time between his morning dance practice and when he was supposed to meet Ciao Ciao at the rink, and decided that he might as well get there early, without much else to do. Instagram was being slow today, and nobody was posting on Twitter, and Snapchat was basically dead, so he didn't even have the excuse of spending time on social media.

After a few minutes on the ice, just messing around, he felt his gaze get drawn up. A familiar figure in white was watching him. "Hello!" Phichit called as he skated over. "You were the one who sent me the food, right? It was delicious, thank you."

"I'm glad you liked it," the man said. "It's my favorite, I hoped you would."

"I washed the container and brought it with me, in case you want it back."

The man shook his head. "Oh, no, it's quite alright. I have plenty. Thank you for the thought, though. And congratulations again! I showed the video of your performances to some people at work, and everyone was very excited to see one of – to see someone representing Thailand so well at that kind of event."

"Even though I got last place?" Phichit said with a hint of a laugh. He was trying to remain positive – he'd skated clean programs, the one fall aside, and more than one person had told him he was far more enjoyable to watch than JJ and should have placed higher, and Ciao Ciao was helping him look at how he could improve his scores next time – but the thought still stung.

"Oh, did you? Sorry, I keep forgetting. Are there other competitions that you'll be going to? I'm not sure how this works."

Phichit leaned on the wall with his elbows and explained his plans for the rest of the season. "And then I'll be busy with all kinds of things here during the summer," he said as he finished. "Mm, well, it's not going to happen this year, and I haven't told anyone yet, but when I can, maybe next year, what I really want to do is have an ice show here with all my friends." He still hadn't even told Yuuri, yet, or so much as hinted it to Ciao Ciao. He had too many ideas for how it could go, and he hadn't figured out how it would work.

But talking with this man made the thought jump easily from his mind to his mouth, and he could see those eyes lighting up behind his glasses. "That sounds like a wonderful idea! Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you with it."

"Okay," he said, grinning. "I'm sure a lot of people will come, and then everyone will know about skating, and soon it won't just be me you can cheer on at events."

"I hope so. You said skating is a lot of fun, right?" As Phichit nodded, the man pulled out his phone and glanced at it. "Actually... your coach isn't coming for a while, right? Why don't you show me? They should rent skates here..."

"You want to try skating right now?"

The man gave him yet another smile. " _Shall we skate?_ " he sang, a perfect match to the song.

" _Your dreams will come true if you believe in like a magical trading card game_ ," Phichit sang in reply.

They both laughed, and then the man went and got his rental skates. _So how does it work, Arthur_ , Phichit said in his head as the man took his first tentative step onto the ice, clinging to the rink wall. He had watched the movie so many times, he'd memorized the dialogue before he had learned what all the English words meant. _Your majesty, just take my hands and go slowly. Yes, right, left, good. See here, it's like this._

"How does it work?" the man asked, staring at his feet as he started to drift very slowly. "All this time watching you skate and I don't remember it at all."

"Here," Phichit said, skating in front of him and holding his hands out until the man took them. "It's not that hard. I won't let you fall."

They made a very, very slow circuit around the rink, Phichit doing his best to coach the man through it. By now, he had been skating for so long that it was hard to remember the first time he had ever stepped on the ice, how his legs must have wobbled just like this, how he must have thought he was falling every few meters even when he stayed upright. The man's hands clutched at his wrists so hard at first that his fingers went bloodless, but after they had gone around a few times, the grip relaxed.

"I can see what you mean," he said, the first words either of them had spoken in a while. "It was scary at first, but I think I'm getting the hang of it, and it _is_ enjoyable."

Of course, not three seconds after he finished his sentence, he screwed up his rhythm and fell right into Phichit, who just _barely_ managed to hold them both upright under the sudden weight knocking into him. Once they had stabilized, and realized that neither of them was hurt, the man burst into laughter, and Phichit couldn't help but be swept along with it, though it made supporting his weight rather more difficult.

Somehow they didn't collapse onto the ice together before the laughter faded away naturally. "You had it up until then," Phichit said as he helped the man get his balance again. "We'll have you skating backwards in no time."

"Backwards? Ah... maybe we can save that for next time."

"Sure." The man was improving surprisingly fast, or so it seemed to Phichit. Maybe he was a natural. Phichit let go of one of his hands and switched to skating next to him and letting him use his arm for balance; they were going faster now, too, and he was getting better at brushing off the bobbles instead of tripping into them. After another circuit, Phichit gently pried his hand off. "It's just for a moment," he said in reply to the man's worried look. He glided over to where he had left his phone and opened the music player as he skated back over. "It's even more fun when you have music. Here!"

 _Terra Incognita_ was near the top; he didn't even really have to look to find it. He hit the play button and let the man take his arm for balance again. "I thought it was a bit strange how they made up a language for this song," the man said as they started to move once more. "It's very catchy, but they couldn't use Thai?"

"Really? I thought it was on purpose, to show how the future wasn't the one that Arthur came from. It's something that should be familiar, but even the Thai characters are confused, so that's the first hint that there's something wrong. After all, some of the later songs are in Thai and they were written by native speakers, so it's not like they didn't have a translator."

When he had tried to explain this idea to his sister, a long time ago, she had told him he was overthinking it. The man simply looked thoughtful and nodded. "It plays in the first scene after they arrive in the modern day, so that makes sense!"

They made their way through almost half of Phichit's playlist of _The King and the Skater_ -related songs, chatting about the movies and then skating and then other sports, before Ciao Ciao finally showed up. Phichit spotted him waving and waved back before turning the music off. The man had only fallen a couple more times, and Phichit didn't really _need_ to accompany him to the rink exit, but he did so anyway.

"Thank you for showing me," he said. "I had a great time – let's do it again when you're free, okay?"

"Sure!" Phichit briefly turned his head towards Ciao Ciao – who was patiently waiting for him – and turned back to say good-bye, but his tongue froze on meeting the man's golden eyes. They had gone bright, all of a sudden – still friendly and warm, but now very hard to look away from.

"What I said earlier about helping you with your ice show," the man said, his voice gone quiet and low. "I did mean it. If you need anything to make it happen, just tell me, and I'll take care of it."

"Okay," Phichit breathed, and at that everything went back to normal. "I'll be sure to take you up on it," he continued, because while he didn't know what the limits of _anything_ were, if someone was just going to hand it to him – someone sincere like his friend – he was going to take advantage to have the best ice show Thailand had ever seen.

Quality needed time, so naturally, Phichit started to seriously plan it that night, unable to get the idea out of his head. He sent a text to Yuuri and Guang-hong, two of the people he most wanted to show up and probably among the easiest to get to agree to come ( _Hey, how would you feel about coming to Bangkok to do an ice show with me some day_?) and started scouring his music for songs. Would it be better to have original music? Would that be more trouble than using songs that already existed? Using existing songs meant something about licensing or something like that, right? Phichit had no idea how this worked.

He ended up accidentally clicking on _Shall We Skate?_ while scrolling and suddenly wondered: did _anything_ include helping him get the rights to _The King and the Skater_ 's music? Because there was no way he could hold the best ice show in Thailand without it.

* * *

A/N: Written for yuuago for the Chocolate Box 2017 exchange.


End file.
